The Health and Wellbeing Board met on Thursday 2 July 2026 to discuss the implementation of the Neighbourhood Health model, with a particular focus on frailty, and to review the Better Care Fund performance and plans. The Board agreed to continue focusing on frailty within Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) and approved the forward plan for future board meetings. They also noted and approved the 2025/26 Better Care Fund end-of-year report and the proposals for the 2026/27 Better Care Fund plan.

Neighbourhood Health and Frailty

The Board discussed the implementation of the NHS Neighbourhood Health model, which aims to reorganise health and care delivery around local populations and deliver services through integrated, multidisciplinary teams. The proposal is to continue prioritising frailty as the initial focus for these Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) across Harrow. This approach aligns with the West North London Integrated Care Board's (ICB) ambition to shift 1% of resources from acute to community care and supports Harrow's Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022–2030.

Kate Bonzi, Programme Manager in the Harrow Borough-based Partnership Team, explained that INTs are designed to integrate services across health, social care, and the voluntary sector, working collaboratively around residents within defined neighbourhoods. Harrow already has three established INTs: East, Central, and West, which have been working together since 2024.

Councillor Pritesh Patel, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety, raised concerns about accountability if targets are not met, workforce challenges, and digital limitations within the INT model. Laurence Gibson, Director of Public Health, responded that governance for existing INTs is managed through the borough-based partnership and the Joint Management Board.

Discussions also covered the funding for the 1% shift, with Dr Hannah Bundock, a GP and Harrow Network Partners GP, noting that the exact figures were still being confirmed but were estimated to be in the range of £1 to £1.5 million per INT across each borough. Simon Crawford, Deputy Chief Executive at London Northwest Healthcare Trust, confirmed that there was potential funding for one INT to commence this financial year, with proposals needing to be submitted to the ICB by early August.

Chavina Segal, Director of Primary Care for Western North London, provided further detail on funding, explaining that the ICB had a total of £60 million for this year, with a commitment of £120 million annually for the next four years. She clarified that while Harrow receives a share based on registered per head and weighted population, there is an ongoing effort to target funding towards areas of greatest inequality.

The Board agreed to the continued focus on frailty and the use of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, and to include relevant items for the forward plan.

Forward Planning

Laurence Gibson presented a report outlining potential items for the Health and Wellbeing Board's forward plan over the next two years. He highlighted the importance of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) in identifying local health and wellbeing priorities. Suggested topics for future discussion included smoking cessation and tobacco control, the children's reform agenda, health protection (such as tuberculosis and measles), and an independent annual report from the Director of Public Health.

Councillor Pritesh Patel inquired about the significance of smoking and measles in Harrow, to which Laurence Gibson responded that an estimated 18,000 people in Harrow smoke, and that measles and tuberculosis are areas of concern, with Harrow being one of the boroughs with the highest incidence of tuberculosis in London.

Councillor Hitesh Karia raised questions about addressing obesity in youngsters and the ongoing focus on cardiovascular disease. Laurence Gibson confirmed that weight management and nutrition were covered under existing approaches and that cardiovascular disease was implicated in many of the discussed topics.

The issue of dental health and oral health availability was also raised, with Chavina Segal confirming that a dental strategy was being developed and that work was underway with dental confederations to improve local care networks.

The Board agreed to note the report and to agree broad areas of work for future board meetings.

Harrow Better Care Fund (BCF) 2025/26 End of Year Report and 2026/27 BCF Plan

Andrew Davies, Assistant Director for Strategy and Commissioning, presented the end-of-year report for the 2025/26 Better Care Fund (BCF) and the plan for 2026/27. The BCF is a government initiative established in 2015 to drive health and social care integration.

The 2025/26 report indicated that Harrow had performed on track for two out of three key metrics: delayed discharge performance and the number of admissions to care homes for people aged 65 and above. While emergency admissions for people aged 65+ were slightly above target, this was attributed to population increase.

For the 2026/27 plan, the Board was informed of three headline metrics: non-elective admissions to hospital for people aged 65 and over, average length of discharge delays, and permanent admissions to care homes for people over 65. Stretch targets have been set for each of these, including a 5% reduction in average discharge delay days and aiming for a rolling number of 140 permanent admissions to care homes per year.

The plan also includes the introduction of the Homeless Health NWL Enhanced Model, which will embed a Homeless Health worker in every Emergency Department and expand community provision.

The Board noted and approved the 2025/26 BCF end-of-year report and the proposals for inclusion in the 2026/27 BCF plan.

Councillor Pritesh Patel raised a query regarding a £544,000 overrun in community equipment costs. Andrew Davies confirmed that the situation had improved significantly with a new provider in place since September, and that while there were initial financial adjustments, the service was now in a better position.

The Board agreed to note and approve the 2025/26 Better Care Fund end-of-year report and the proposals for inclusion in the 2026/27 Better Care Fund plan.

Verbal Update on Actions and Matters Arising from the Previous Meeting

James Mass, Strategic Director of Adult Social Care and Public Health, and Laurence Gibson provided a verbal update on actions from the previous meeting. This included progress on raising awareness of the latent TB programme, with focus groups and a survey underway. All other actions from the previous meeting were reported as having been undertaken.